familypediawikiaorg-20200214-history
Anglesey
Anglesey ( ) , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales. Two bridges, spanning the Menai Strait, connect it to the mainland: the original Menai Suspension Bridge (carrying the A5), designed by Thomas Telford in 1826; and the more recently rebuilt Britannia Bridge (replacing the original designed by Robert Stephenson), which carries the A55 and the North Wales Coast Railway Line. Historian and author John Davies argues that it was during the tumultuous 10th century that the Norse name for Môn, Anglesey, came into existence; the name was later adopted into English after Anglo-Norman occupiers arrived to conquer the island during the Norman invasions of Gwynedd.Davies, John, A History of Wales, Tumultuous century, Meredudd ab Owain, Viking raids of, Anglesey name origin pg 98, 99;Anglesey from Ongle's ey, or Ongle's Island. Anglesey, Wales The name Anglesey was later used in the English language as a county name which included Holy Island and other nearby small islands. About half of the inhabitants can speak, read and write Welsh as well as English, and 70% have a knowledge of Welsh.Office of National Statistics 2001 Census Table KS25 Once the Welsh language was granted equal status in government with the Welsh Language Act of 1993, the representative constituency names for the island were changed to the Welsh name of the island, Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency) in the UK parliament, and Ynys Môn (Assembly constituency) in the National Assembly for Wales. With an area of ,Angleseynature.co.uk (although Anglesey proper, not including Holy Island is 675 km2) Anglesey is the largest Welsh island, the sixth largest surrounding the island of Great Britain, and the largest island in the Irish Sea ahead of the Isle of Man.C.Michael Hogan. 2011. [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Irish_Sea?topic=49523 Irish Sea. eds P.Saundry & C.Cleveland. encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC] Etymology Môn is the Welsh name of Anglesey, derived from the British enisis mona, appearing first during the Roman era as 'Mona': it is the Mona of Tacitus (Ann. xiv. 29, Agr. xiv. 18), Pliny the Elder (iv. 16) and Dio Cassius (62). It is called Môn Mam Cymru ("Môn, Mother of Wales") by Giraldus Cambrensis, for the claimed ability of the fertile land to produce enough food for the whole of Wales. In reality, the claim was probably more directed at an ability to sustain Gwynedd. Old Welsh names are Ynys Dywyll ("Dark Isle") and Ynys y Cedairn (cedyrn or kedyrn; "Isle of brave folk"). Clas Merddin, and Y fêl Ynys (honey isle) are other names. The English name Anglesey is in fact derived from the Old Norse, meaning 'Ongull's Island'. The alternative "isle (ey) of the Angles" is discredited. History Numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs are present on Anglesey, testifying to the presence of humans in prehistory. Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that Anglesey was once part of the mainland. Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with druids. In AD 60 the Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the Celtic druids, attacked the island utilizing his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assaultTacitus Agricola 18.3-5 and then destroying the shrine and the sacred groves. News of Boudica's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman Governor of Britain, in AD 78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper. The foundations of Caer Gybi, a fort at Holyhead, are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll may originally have been a Roman road. British Iron Age and Roman sites have been excavated, and coins and ornaments discovered, especially by the 19th century antiquarian, William Owen Stanley.Stanley, Anglesey, 1871, and many Celtic contributions, especially on Celtic subjectsw, to Archaeologia Cambrensis. Following the Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey and the nearby Llŷn Peninsula. In response to this, Cunedda ap Edern, a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began the process of driving the Irish out. This process was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion, the last Irish invaders finally being defeated in battle in 470. As an island, Anglesey was in a good defensive position and, because of this, Aberffraw became the site of the court, or Llys, of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Apart from a devastating Danish raid in 853 it was to remain the capital until the 13th century, when improvements to the English navy made the location indefensible. After the Irish, the island was invaded by Vikings, some of these raids being noted in famous sagas (see Menai Strait History), as well as Saxons, and Normans, before falling to Edward I of England in the 13th century. Geography Anglesey is a relatively low-lying island with low hills such as Parys Mountain, Cadair Mynachdy ("chair of the monastery", or Monachdy; there is a Nanner, "convent", not far away), Mynydd Bodafon and Holyhead Mountain. The island is separated from the Welsh mainland by the Menai Strait, which at its narrowest point is about wide. ]] Anglesey has some of the oldest rocks in the world, dating from the Pre-Cambrian period. Anglesey has several small towns scattered around the island, making it quite evenly populated. The largest towns are Holyhead, Llangefni, Llannerch-y-medd (Welsh spelling; in English the hyphens are generally omitted), Menai Bridge, and Amlwch. Beaumaris (Welsh: Biwmares), in the east of the island, features Beaumaris Castle, built by Edward I as part of his Bastide Town campaign in North Wales. Beaumaris acts as a yachting centre for the region, with many boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point. The village of Newborough (Welsh: Niwbwrch), in the south, created when the townsfolk of Llanfaes were relocated to make way for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of Llys Rhosyr, another of the courts of the mediaeval Welsh princes, which features one of the oldest courtrooms in the United Kingdom. Llangefni is located in the centre of the island and is also the island's administrative centre. The town of Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy) (in the south-east) expanded when the first bridge to the mainland was being built, in order to accommodate workers and construction. Up until that time Porthaethwy had been one of the principal ferry crossing points from the mainland. A short distance from this town lies Bryn Celli Ddu, a Stone Age burial mound. Also nearby is the village with the longest official place name in the United Kingdom, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Near it is Plas Newydd, ancestral home of the Marquesses of Anglesey. The town of Amlwch is situated in the northeast of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown during the 18th century supporting the copper mining industry at Parys Mountain. Other villages and settlements include Cemaes, Benllech, Pentraeth, Gaerwen, Dwyran, Bodedern and Rhosneigr. The Anglesey Sea Zoo is a local tourist attraction, providing a look at and descriptions of local marine wildlife from lobsters to conger eels. All the fish and crustaceans on display are caught around the island and are placed in reconstructions of their natural habitat. They also make salt (evaporated from the local sea water) and breed commercially lobsters, for food, and oysters, for pearls, both from local stocks. The island's entire rural coastline has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and features many sandy beaches, especially along its eastern coast between the towns of Beaumaris and Amlwch and along the western coast from Ynys Llanddwyn through Rhosneigr to the little bays around Carmel Head. The northern coastline is characterised by dramatic cliffs interspersed with small bays. The Anglesey Coastal Path is a path40 years of outstanding natural beauty which follows nearly the entire coastline. Tourism is now the most significant economic activity on the island. Agriculture provides the secondary source of income for the island's economy, with the local dairies being amongst the most productive in the region. There is also a nuclear power station, at Wylfa Head on the north coast. Major industries are restricted to Holyhead (Caergybi) which, until 30 September 2009, supported an aluminum smelter, and the Amlwch area, where the Wylfa nuclear power station is located close to a former bromine extraction plant. The nuclear power station is scheduled to operate until at least 2012, whilst the aluminum smelting operation closed down in September 2009, reducing its workforce from 450 to 80; this has been a major blow to the Island's economy, especially to the town of Holyhead. However, the local county council supports extending the closure deadline and building a new nuclear power station at Wylfa.Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn - Isle of Anglesey County Council The Royal Air Force station RAF Valley (Y Fali) is home to the RAF Fast Jet Training School and also 22 Squadron Search and Rescue Helicopters, both units providing employment for approximately 500 civilians. RAF Valley is now home to the Headquarters of 22 Sqn Search and Rescue. There is a wide range of smaller industries, mostly located in industrial and business parks especially at Llangefni and Gaerwen. These industries include an abattoir and fine chemicals manufacture as well as factories for timber production, aluminum smelting, fish farming and food processing. Wind power is developing on Anglesey, with more than 20 commercial wind turbines established near the north coast. The strong sea currents around the island are also attracting the interest of electricity generation companies interested in exploiting tidal power. The island is also on one of the major routes from Britain to Ireland, via ferries from Holyhead, off the west of Anglesey on Holy Island, to Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Port. There are a few natural lakes, mostly in the west, such as Llyn Llywenan, the largest natural lake on the island, Llyn Coron, and Cors Cerrig y Daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. These are Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the Afon Cefni, and Llyn Alaw to the north of the island. The climate is humid (much less so than neighbouring mountainous Gwynedd) but generally equable under the effects of the Gulf Stream bathing the island. The land is of variable quality and it was probably much more fertile in the past. Anglesey is the home of the northernmost olive grove in Europe and presumably in the world. See the list of places in Anglesey for all villages, towns and cities. See the List of Anglesey towns by population for populations. Ecology and conservation Much of Anglesey is covered with relatively intensive cattle and sheep farming aided by modern agro-chemicals. In these areas the native vegetation and wildlife have essentially been destroyed. However there are a number of important wetland sites which have protected status. In addition the several lakes all have significant ecological interest including their support for a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic bird species. In the west, the Malltraeth Marshes are believed to be supporting an occasional visiting bittern and the nearby estuary of the Afon Cefni supports a bird population made internationally famous by the paintings of Charles Tunnicliffe, who lived for many years – and died at - Malltraeth on the Cefni estuary. The RAF airstrip at Mona is a nesting site for skylarks. The sheer cliff faces at South Stack near Holyhead provide nesting sites for huge numbers of auks including puffins, razorbills and guillemots together with choughs and peregrine falcons. Three sites on Anglesey are important for breeding terns – see Anglesey tern colonies. There are significant occurrences of the Juncus subnodulosus-Cirsium palustre fen-meadow plant association, a habitat characterised by certain hydrophilic grasses, sedges and forbs.* C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=48639 Marsh Thistle: Cirsium palustre, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Strömberg] Anglesey is home to several species of tern, including the Roseate Tern. Anglesey is home to two of the UK's small number of remaining colonies of red squirrels, at Pentraeth and Newborough.Redsquirrels.info Almost the entire coastline of Anglesey is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The coastal zone of Anglesey was designated as an AONB in 1966 and was confirmed as such in 1967. It was so designated in order to protect the aesthetic appeal and variety of the island’s coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development. The AONB is predominantly a coastal designation, covering most of Anglesey’s coastline but also encompasses Holyhead Mountain and Mynydd Bodafon. Substantial areas of other land protected by the AONB form the backdrop to the coast. The approximate coverage of the Anglesey AONB is 221 km², and it is the largest AONB in Wales, covering as it does one third of the island. A number of the habitats found on Anglesey are afforded even greater protection both through UK and European designations because of their nature conservation value, these include: 6 candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs) 4 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) 1 National Nature Reserve 26 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 52 Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) These protected habitats support a variety of wildlife such as Harbour Porpoises and Marsh Fritillary. The AONB also takes in three sections of open, undeveloped coastline which have been designated as Heritage Coast. These non-statutory designations complement the AONB and cover about of the coastline. The sections of Heritage Coast are: # North Anglesey # Holyhead Mountain # Aberffraw Bay A living and working landscape Employment on Anglesey is mainly based on agriculture and tourism and in some cases a combination of both. The range of local produce found on the island is quite varied, from cheese and chocolate to wine. In a number of instances the local produce is also organic. About two million people visit the island each year. In terms of recreation the island offers a number of opportunities to both residents and visitors alike, the majority enjoying the fine sandy beaches and the coastal landscape. The most popular forms of recreation include sailing, angling, cycling, walking, wind surfing and jet skiing. These all place pressures and demands on the AONB. At the same time, the AONBs popularity for such activities clearly provides a contribution to the local economy.SOS.bangor.ac.uk Natural history References: Jones, W.E. Eifion Jones (Ed.)1990. A New Natural History of Anglesey. Anglesey Antiquarian Society, Llangefni. , old lighthouse with Snowdonia in background.]] Culture * Anglesey has the second highest percentage of native Welsh language speakers in Wales (70% of the population). * Anglesey hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1957, 1983, and 1999. * Anglesey/Ynys Môn is a member island of the International Island Games Association. In the 2009 Games held on the Åland Islands (Finland) Anglesey/Ynys Môn came joint 17th (with Western Isles) with 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. In the 2007 Island Games on Rhodes (Greece) Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 15th on the medal table with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals. In the 2005 Games on the Shetland Islands, Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. and the 2011 Games were held on the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn Island Games Association plan to make a bid to host the 2015 Island Games. * The Anglesey County Show is held each year in summer on the site of Mona Airfield, close to RAF Valley, in which farmers from around the country compete in livestock rearing contests including sheep and cattle. * Anglesey has featured in the Channel 4 television archaeology series, Time Team (series 14) - programme transmission date 4 February 2007. Geology The geology of Anglesey is notably complex and is frequently used for geology field trips by schools and colleges. Younger strata in Anglesey rest upon a foundation of very old Precambrian rocks that appear at the surface in four areas: #a western region including Holyhead and Llanfaethlu, #a central area about Aberffraw and Trefdraeth, #an eastern region which includes Newborough, Gaerwen and Pentraeth and #a coastal region at Glyn Garth between Menai Bridge and Beaumaris. These Precambrian rocks are schists and phyllites, often much contorted and disturbed. The general line of strike of the formations in the island is from north-east to south-west. A belt of granitic rocks lies immediately north-west of the central Precambrian mass, reaching from Llanfaelog near the coast to the vicinity of Llanerchymedd. Between this granite and the Precambrian of Holyhead is a narrow tract of Ordovician slates and grits with Llandovery beds in places; this tract spreads out in the north of the island between Dulas Bay and Carmel Point. A small patch of Ordovician strata lies on the northern side of Beaumaris. In parts, these Ordovician rocks are much folded, crushed and metamorphosed, and they are associated with schists and altered volcanic rocks which are probably Precambrian. Between the eastern and central Precambrian masses Carboniferous rocks are found. The Carboniferous Limestone occupies a broad area south of Lligwy Bay and Pentraeth, and sends a narrow spur in a south-westerly direction by Llangefni to Malltraeth Sands. The limestone is underlain on the north-west by a red basement conglomerate and yellow sandstone (sometimes considered to be of Old Red Sandstone age). Limestone occurs again on the north coast about Llanfihangel and Llangoed; and in the south-west round Llanidan on the border of the Menai Strait. Puffin Island is made of Carboniferous Limestone. Malltraeth marsh is occupied by Coal Measures, and a small patch of the same formation appears near Tal-y-foel Ferry on the Menai Strait. A patch of rhyolitic/felsitic rocks form Parys Mountain, where copper and iron ochre have been worked. Serpentine (Mona Marble) is found near Llanfair-yn-neubwll and upon the opposite shore in Holyhead. There is abundant evidence of glaciation, and much boulder clay and drift sand covers the older rocks. Patches of brown sand occur on the south-west coast. Under the name GeoMôn, and in recognition of its extraordinary geological heritage, the island gained membership of the European Geoparks Network in spring 2009.[http://www.geomon.co.uk/#/about/4533286655 GeoMôn : Anglesey's Geopark : About] and the Global Geoparks Network in September 2010. There are Google Earth files: Anglesey.kmz and Anglesey.kml, which show important geological locations on Anglesey, and include a number of geological map overlays, they can be downloaded from: Google Earth Geology,Instruct.uwo.ca whereas a historiography of geological research on Anglesey is available at: Historiography of Geological Research.Instruct.uwo.ca Other places of interest * Rhosneigr, for its beach, boat launch and surfing facilities. * The Skerries Lighthouse which can be found at the end of a low piece of submerged land, north-east of Holyhead * The working windmill at Llanddeusant * Ynys Llanddwyn - Lovers' island * The sea zoo near Dwyran * The church in the sea on Cribinau * The Anglesey Motor Racing Circuit * Stone Science,Pterosaur.co.uk near Pentraeth – a journey through 650 million years. * King Arthur's seat near Beaumaris * Penmon Priory and dovecote * The town and castle of Beaumaris * Red Wharf Bay, Llanddona and many other beaches * Cemlyn Bay for its ternary * Elin's Tower (Twr Elin) RSPB reserve and the lighthouse at South Stack (Ynys Lawd) near Holyhead * Moelfre, the fishing village * Malltraeth, noted centre for bird life and home of wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe Notable people Born on Anglesey * Tony Adams - actor (Anglesey, 1940) * Stu Allan - Radio and club DJ * Dawn French - actress, writer, comedienne (Holyhead, 1957) * Huw Garmon - actor (Anglesey, 1966) * Hugh Griffith - Oscar winning actor (Marianglas, 1912) * Meinir Gwilym - singer and songwriter (Llangristiolus, 1983) * Owain Gwynedd - prince (Anglesey, c. 1100) * Hywel Gwynfryn - radio and TV personality (Llangefni, 1942) * William Jones - mathematician (Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, 1675) * Glenys Kinnock - politician (Holyhead, 1944) * John Morris-Jones - Welsh grammarian and poet (Llandrygarn, 1864) * Edward Owen - 18th century artist, notable today for his letters documenting life in London's art scene * Goronwy Owen - poet (Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf, 1723) * Hugh Owen Thomas - ''pioneering orthopaedic surgeon (Anglesey, 1833) * Owain Tudor - Grandfather of Henry VII (Henry Tudor), who had married the widow of Henry V to give the Tudor dynasty a tenuous claim on the English throne Plas Penmynydd * Sir Kyffin Williams RA - landscape painter (Anglesey, 1918–2006) * Andy Whitfield - actor (Amlwch, 1972–2011) * Grace Coddington - "Creative Director for US Vogue Born April 14, 1941" Lived on Anglesey *Rachel Davies (Rahel o Fôn) poet *Henry Austin Dobson - poet and essayist (Plymouth, Devon 1840) *Wayne Hennessey - footballer – currently goalkeeper with Wolves and Wales (Bangor, 1987) *Aled Jones - singer and television presenter (Bangor, 1970) *Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister - heavy metal bass player and singer (Stoke-on-Trent, 1945) *The Marquesses of Anglesey - noble family from Plas Newydd, Llanfairpwll *Matthew Maynard - cricketer (Oldham, Lancashire 1966) *George North - Wales rugby union international (born King's Lynn, 1992; family moved to Anglesey in his early childhood) *Gary Pritchard - sports journalist & broadcaster (Bangor, 1970) *Gruff Rhys - Musician best known for being the leadman of Super Furry Animals grew up in Rachub, near Bethesda (Haverfordwest, 18 July 1970) *Iain Duncan Smith, leader of the Conservative Party 2001–2003, attended [[HMS Conway (school ship)|HMS Conway School Ship]] Plas Newydd, Llanfairpwll, 1968–1972 *Charles Tunnicliffe - wildlife artist (Chester, 1901) *Naomi Watts - actress (Kent, 1968) *Rex Whistler - artist (Eltham, Kent 1905) *Maurice Wilks - father of the Land Rover, which was test driven on Newborough and Llanddona beach *Prince William, Duke of Cambridge - grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (since 2011) *Sir Clive Woodward, rugby union player and England / British Lions coach, attended [[HMS Conway (school ship)|HMS Conway School Ship]] Plas Newydd, Llanfairpwll, 1969–1974 Government Anglesey (together with Holy Island) is one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales. In medieval times, before the conquest of Wales in 1283, Môn often had periods of temporary independence as it was frequently bequeathed to the heirs of kings as a sub kingdom of Gwynedd. The last times this occurred were for a few years after 1171 following the death of Owain Gwynedd when the island was inherited by Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd and again between 1246 - c.1255 when it was given to Owain Goch as his share of the kingdom. Following the conquest of Wales by Edward I it was created a county under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. Prior to this it had been divided into the cantrefi of: * Aberffraw * Rhosyr * Cemaes In 1974 it formed a district of the new large county of Gwynedd, until in the 1996 reform of local government it was restored as a local government county. The county council is a unitary authority and is named "Isle of Anglesey County Council" ( ). In 2011, the Welsh Government appointed a panel of commissioners to administer the council, thus the elected members are not presently in control. The commissioners will remain in control until they are ready to hand over to an elected council, and no elections will be held until that time. Prior to the direct administration, there were a majority of independent councillors, though members did not generally divide along party lines. There are five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates. The largest of these groups is Annibynnol Gwreiddiol/''Original Independents'', with 22 members out of the 40 in total. Schools Secondary schools: *Ysgol David Hughes, Menai Bridge *Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni, Llangefni *Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones, Amlwch *Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern, Bodedern *Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi, Holyhead There are also 50 primary schools in Anglesey, all of which are co-educational day schools.Isle of Anglesey County Council, Serving Anglesey Transport By road, Anglesey is linked from Holyhead to the mainland by the A55 which leads to Chester. Also the A5 runs from the east of the island (Llanfairpwllgwyngyll) to Bangor and as far as St Albans via the Menai Bridge. The A5025, which runs around the northern edge of Anglesey, and the A4080, running around the southern edge form a ring around the island. There are six railway stations in Anglesey: Holyhead, Valley, Rhosneigr, Ty Croes, Bodorgan and Llanfairpwll. All are on the North Wales Coast Line and services are operated by Virgin Trains to London Euston, and by Arriva Trains Wales to Chester, Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street and Cardiff Central. Historically the island was also served by the Anglesey Central Railway which ran from Gaerwen to Amlwch and the Red Wharf Bay branch line between the Holland Arms railway station and Red Wharf Bay. By air, Anglesey Airport has a twice daily scheduled service to Cardiff International Airport where connections worldwide can be made. Holyhead Port is a busy ferry port handling more than 2 million passengers each year. Stena Line and Irish Ferries sail to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire in Ireland, forming the principal link for surface transport from central and northern England and Wales to Ireland. See also * List of Lord Lieutenants of Anglesey * List of High Sheriffs of Anglesey * Cestyll Garden * List of islands of Wales - including those around Anglesey * Ynys Môn (Assembly constituency) * Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency) References External links * *Anglesey History *Visions of Britain - Anglesley through time - Local history overview (maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions). *Valley Village Weather Station *The Anglesey Edge - local and tourist information about the Isle of Anglesey Category:Anglesey Category:Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales Category:Counties of Wales Category:Islands of Wales Category:Principal areas of Wales Category:Historic counties of Wales